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Life On A Roller Coaster

It can be exciting. Or scary.

It can reinforce your sense of trust. Or completely obliterate it.

You can close your eyes, clench your teeth, and hold on for dear life. Or you can keep your eyes wide open, throw your hands over your head, and experience the ride with awe and wonder and terror and triumph.

I run the other way from crazy situations that are ‘spozed to be “fun.” I won’t be the one on the tightrope between high rises…I won’t be the one bungee jumping over a chasm…I’m not going over Niagara Falls in a barrel for kicks. I am prudent and careful and thoughtful of consequence. But I’m learning…

Maybe it’s because I’ve been so long trained to piece together the broken bodies and fractured minds of others who have dared fling themselves (or be flung) into danger or heartache or the dark, tempting pool of being out of control. But I am not in need of any further adrenaline rushes, thank you very much. I don’t crave unconscious adventures or daring feats of random bravery. I just plod along, smelling the flowers and being moved to the core by love.

But sometimes life just puts you in the roller coaster seat and says “go for it!” If we survive, and mostly we do, the experience changes us somehow. It either gives us more courage and reinforces our belief that we can pretty much get through a lot of what we fear…or it breaks us.

Lately, my life has been a roller coaster.

At first I was terrified and projected all manner of mishap and mayhem. But what I learned is when you find yourself buckled in against your will and the cosmic gears begin to whir and gain momentum, you’d better figure out a strategy to get you through the ride and out the other side, back on firm ground, maybe with an ice cream cone, and a story to tell.

You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to build a safety net of spider webs. You don’t need to read another “self help” book or go to another conference on how to cope. You just gotta…

You gotta ride the roller coaster…because, trust me, you can get through soooo much more than you think you can. You can call up so much strength and wisdom from the deep well that is your life. You can lean heavily on the shoulders of family and friends to get you through. You can cultivate trust and expect miracles.

You can stop “over thinking”…

You can cry because…

You can laugh because…

You can get through it.

Really.

Teeth clenched or hands raised bravely over your head.

You can take the ride and survive it and have a story to tell.

I am your living, breathing example. A reluctant rider but an exalted survivor.

My Sweetheart survived yet another cancer challenge.

Cissie survived a long, delicate open heart surgery.

Marisa found the daughter she was forced to give up when she was a scared 16 year old who had been violated by a “trusted family friend.”

Jayson healed the vast wounding of a father who beat him every day for sport to become a father of such tenderness and compassion that his own son now pays the gift forward by being a domestic violence counselor.

Jenna built a “tiny house” to do the traveling she could never manage paying the mortgage on her big, fancy home that burnt to the ground in San Jose.

Disabled Iraq War vet Bill went to Puerto Rico to share his expertise about low cost, low tech solar water purification systems after the loss of his daughter to a drunk driver.

There is hope.

There is light.

There is love and family and the vast, teeming power of faith.

But…

You have to do the leg work.

You are responsible for the sweat equity.

You have to ride the roller coasters life gives you.

Hold on tight…or throw your arms up and yell at the top of your lungs.

But get through it and out the other side with a story to share.

I will be here, waiting beside the tribal fire of The Creative Cottage for you.

There is warmth and love and compassionate hearts here.

There is hope and fear and sadness and joy here.

We are all a mix of it all–troubles & woe/

joy & happiness.

Whatever life brings–be grateful for the journey and

Thank you for riding the roller coaster with me!

Love From Kait…who is slowly raising her arms above her head and trusting the journey.

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4 comments on “Life On A Roller Coaster”

Oh Kaitie, I honor your sticktoitivness! I am doing OK but a little slower.
Thank you so very much for sharing your life’s unsteady but assuridly path.
We alll i guess have to stumble along with shaky faith and unsteady smiles.
But we do it!
Thanks to your MESSAGES along the path.
Love Love Love, Dolores